‘Chelsea given unfair financial advantage over Premier League rivals – this is so wrong’
Chelsea have been given a huge financial boost over their Premier League rivals which could unfairly impact the division.
Since Todd Boehly acquired control of the West London club in 2022, he has spent well over £1billion on new players.
This summer, the Blues have continued to invest heavily in their squad, bringing the likes of Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens, and Joao Pedro to Stamford Bridge.
However, much of their financial outlay has been negated by the prize money they received for winning the Club World Cup earlier this month, after beating PSG 3-0 in the final.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that this could contribute to an “imbalance” in the Premier League.
‘Chelsea’s CWC success is detrimental to Premier League’
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that Chelsea’s success in the Club World Cup is to the detriment of the Premier League, as it has skewed the funds available.
Enzo Maresca’s side reportedly received £85million from FIFA for winning the revamped competition, which had an overall prize pool of £1billion.
Wyness added that the Club World Cup is effectively a glorified invitational, with top teams like Liverpool not being included.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Overall, it wasn’t the best clubs in the world playing by any means. You’re missing clubs like Liverpool, et cetera, who are right up there.
“Until you can actually say that the true champions of all the leagues are playing, then you haven’t got any right to claim things. It just becomes a glorified, invitational tournament.
“Also, it skewed the money received by some of those clubs. Chelsea are the ones I’m looking at that really have received an amount of money that has really imbalanced the Premier League in some way.
“I was pleased that UEFA have clawed back 30 million in a fine from Chelsea, but it’s just wrong that an invitational tournament can skew clubs’ abilities to spend. So that’s been to the detriment of the normal domestic game to a degree.
“What we’ve got to be realistic about is that FIFA are very thirsty for politics, for domination beyond the international game into the club game.
“I’m afraid it isn’t going away. So as fans, what we can try and do is lobby to make it better, both in execution and the impact it has on the impact on domestic football.”
Aston Villa eye Chelsea forward
Meanwhile, Aston Villa are ready to reunite Unai Emery with Nicolas Jackson as they look to bolster their attacking options, sources have told Football Insider.
Football Insider revealed on 15 July that Emery’s side had initiated preliminary talks with Chelsea to explore a possible deal for Jackson, and the Villa manager is a “huge fan” of the 24-year-old frontman.
Emery gave Jackson his senior debut during the pair’s time together at Villarreal in 2021.
Sources have told Football Insider that Jackson is unhappy at Chelsea after new signings Liam Delap and Joao Pedro displaced him, and this could open the door for Emery and Villa to step up their interest.
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